how much is about 50 acres of 14 year pine worth? if its enough i may have just found my homestead!!! its 108 acres 1/2 14 yr pine and 1/2 young hardwood. with a year round creek.
Call you local state forester. They can tell you quickly. Make sure it doesn't have pine beetles. While it might have value for immediate harvest, it may not in the future. Ken S. in WC TN
The location of the pine is of great importance. Here in Northern Wisconsin, 14 year old pine is just "getting started" towards its maturity of 70 years or so. Very little timber value, but great potential for the future, which will see exorbitant demand for timber. In southern climates, where trees grow much faster, its possible you may have something ready for its "first thinning". Don't plan on "getting fat" from the proceeds of the first thinning.....there won't be much. And if property taxes are high, consider placing the property in a "Managed Forest" type program. Wisconsin has a program such as this.... as do most other states. Property taxes are as low as $1/acre when enrolled in this program. When and if, any timber is harvested from the plot while enrolled in this program, a person is required to pay 5% of the value of the stumpage to the state to administer the program. This is a real bargain! An honest forester or an honest logger (both are hard to find) can tell you what the pine plantation is worth, as well as your best course of action.
What size (diameter) are the trees? Got any sawmills that make fence rails and posts near you? Have the timber cruiser walk the pine patch and give you a rail count and price per rail.
Factors that dtermine value of a patch of timber: Species geeographical local(what part of country) Where is the market for said species what is the terrain of said site,ie does it have to be helicopter logged Who will do the production work,as in you with a pickup truck or me ,with a team sawmill heavy truck etc who will do the selling what can the stock be marketed as or turned into? A warning about state forestry people and their advice,for the most part they will want you to "let the proffesionals do it" which means that,on a small piece of ground you will get the least return. I am on a piece of ground that they told me that 25 years ago;Each year my income goes up. Several loggers told me that the best thing that I could do would be to stack and burn everyting on my proprety!!!!! Take everything with a heaping shovel full of salt. If you think that you are truly interested in trying to pay for a piece of propery using the available timber,I would be very happy to coach you through the decision making process. Let me tell you,however,if you have never done this type of work,you are in for a suprise!!Timber products is the most dangerous occupation with regard to death and disability in the US. THINK CAREFULLY. LEE
Contact FISTA if you plan to try to harvest it yourself.....they have logging safety videos. If one can get as little as 5 landowners together one can have a 6hr hands on logging safety class here in Wisconsin for just $20/each! I just got the papers in the mail from them. They have a website under construction. The 800 number on it is good. I myself just got disgusted w/ loggers and have decided I will do it myself. In 4 yrs.... 2 loggers promised and never followed through, 3 rd tried to tell me if I didn't cut it a certain way it would cause it to be punky, 4th is booked up till break up. Now, if you don't get timber out of the woods in a timely manner it can cause it to become punky. In the last 4 yrs more and more of my aspen has been getting mushrooms on it BUT, that doesn't mean the whole tree is punky. Although, it conceivably could be. This last summer aspen was at an all time high around here because L.P. had a gov't contract. Between them and Sappy loggers were getting paid as much as $100/cord. If one has good venneer logs as Much as $300/1000bd ft. at Besse Forest products(if my memory serves me correct on measurement it was bought in). Be careful no matter what you decide to do!! Katie
Hoop is right, location will be a big factor in determining the value of the trees. Where I live (Tampa) the roughly 5 acres I have of pine is virtually worthless because there is little logging activity near me. But, just 2 hours north of here I have 40 acres of longleaf pines which I planted 12 years ago. Right now I am negotiating a pine straw lease with one company and thinning with another. Longleaf pines grow very quickly here, and we plan on a 24-year rotation, so a stand of 14yo trees would be much closer to harvest here than the same trees grown on a 70-year rotation in Wisconsin. In my area it is impossible to get accurate estimates from the state forester. "If I were me" I would hire a professional timber management company to do an appraisal. The last time I checked, to have my 40 acre parcel appraised would have cost around $900, but if you are making financial decisions you need accurate information. Hope this all works out for you.
All that a "proffesional" in the timber industry will tell you is the value with relation to corporate timber management. They will not take into account the value of side products ,aesthetics ,the value and accomplishment of doing a good job. Admiitedly,the half section that I own(320 acres) isn't a large piece of property,but I have maanaged to make a living off of it,despite what all of the proffessionals have said. The irony is thaT I also make more than most of the proffesionals who tell me how to do it!!!!!(I also log off ranch,do trout stream restoration etc)
If someone around you makes log furniture or other "rustic" stuff like chairs and what not, they may pay you for the timber better than the "professional Timber" guy.. Horselogger LOL Arent you glad you didnt listen to those so called "pros".. We only have 11 1/2 acres, but when we bought it every said it was worthless land, too much standing water etc.... WE went ahead and bought it, Cost us little under 200K for land, shop, house, septic etc...(did everything ourselves) That was 1 yr 4 months ago.... we just appraised our home and it went 314K... Not bad for land that everyone warned us about LOL..., And we dont have any problems with water (amazing what a little grading wil do )... Its not so much what your eyes see when you look at something, so much as what your heart sees..
